"Kyoto, Suguru, lower your weapons" Just when the atmosphere was getting intense, Lady suddenly spoke up in a calm tone as she urged Hanabi and the hooded girl to bring her forward inwhich they did.
"Thank you Ma–" Ashiro hurriedly responded in gratification before part of his words suddenly got stuck in his throat in the second he laid his eyes of Hanabi. 'So beautiful….' Ashiro quickly thought as he felt a stir in his heart while he continued to gawk at Hanabi.
'Huh? Who is he looking at?' Lady Naga who is the first to notice Ashiro strange behavior suddenly thought as he followed his trail of sight until it landed on Hanabi. Of cause, Hanabi didn't know she is being gawked at as she is busy trying to make Lady Naga to be as clean as possible. As for the two boys Kyoto and Suguru, they were just staring at Ashiro in utmost vigilance while they lowered their weapons.
'Don't tell me children their age also experience love at first sight?' Lady Naga thought in amusement before she suddenly asked in other for Hanabi and the others not to notice. "Where are your parents, it's not safe to be in this woods alone"
As soon as Ashiro heard the word 'Parents' from Lady Naga's mouth, he instantly came back to his senses as a pained look appeared on his face while he muttered, "They died the day I was born"
A tense silence immediately came upon the group right after as Lady Naga was left speechless by his answer, Kyoto and Suguru had stunned looks on their faces, Hanabi finally raised up her gaze and put in on Ashiro in a calm manner. But as for the hooded girl, she suddenly trembled as soon as she heard what Ashiro said. Although it was only for a brief moment before she came back to normal.
"Then.... How have you been surviving all these years?" Lady Naga eventually struggled to ask as she began to have sympathy for Ashiro. "Well Uncle Fernando who is my remaining family was the one who has been taking care of me all these years" Ashiro answered in a more pained tone as he suddenly clenched his fists.
"Then why don't we–"
"But because of me, he is also dead" Right before Lady Naga could try to liven up the atmosphere, Ashiro suddenly interrupted her with an even painful comment as his eyes began to go teary while he clenched his fists even tighter. But while he was doing that, both him and the others around him failed to notice a tiny part of his skin slowly changing texture and color.
"Woah, talk about badluck" Kyoto suddenly commented with an amused look on his face. "Shut up, Kyoto" but before his comment could have an impact of Ashiro, Hanabi suddenly spoke up in a cool manner which got Kyoto speechless. As for Lady Naga, after hearing what Ashiro said, she seems to have made a decision in her heart as she spoke to Hanabi, "bring me closer to the boy"
"Huh? But Lady Naga–"
"Please" right before Hanabi could reply to what Lady Naga requested, Lady Naga immediately interrupted her as she looked right into Hanabi's dark blue pupils. "Ok then" after a very brief moment of silence between the two of them, Hanabi suddenly spoke up before she took Lady Naga closer to Ashiro.
As soon as they arrived right in front of Ashiro who was still feeling pain for what has happened to his family, Lady Naga suddenly placed one of her hands on his shoulder as she said. "How about joining our little team?"
"Huh?"
"What!?"
"Ehh??"
As soon as Lady Naga asked that question, both Ashiro and the others except the hooded girl beside her suddenly muttered in shock. "Lady Naga, he is not up for what we do, he will die before he even knows what killed him" Suguru suddenly said with a incredulous expression on his face. "And you think you were up for what we do the moment you joined this group right?" Lady Naga quickly asked with an dissatisfied look on her face while she turned to look at Suguru.
"Urgh.... Sorry Lady Naga" Obviously noticing he has said something inappropriate, Suguru quickly apologized with his head low. As for the other, they instantly kept shut since they knew better than to get to Lady Naga's bad side. After noticing that no one else is making a fuss to what she said, she quickly brought her gaze back on Ashiro before saying. "So? What do you think?"
"I.... Don't know, I don't want to be a burden to you guys" Ashiro replied in a timid manner. "Oh please, everyone here has been a burden to me right when they joined this team newly. Yours isn't that special" Lady Naga replied with a dismissive gesture.
"Really?" Ashiro quickly asked with a shocked look on his face. "A 100%" Lady Naga replies with a warm smile on her face.
Grrr!!!
But before Ashiro could answer, a shadow moved—one of the Kaijus, a grotesque creature like those that had taken him to their alien ship, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, lunging toward them with a savage roar. Its twisted form loomed, its jagged claws gleaming.
"Take it down, now!" Lady Naga's command rang out with unwavering authority as if she was already expecting this.
The hooded girl, silent and poised, responded instantly. She stepped forward, her shield at the ready. With a fluid motion, she raised the oversized shield, its edges faintly glowing with a blue light that pulsed like a heartbeat. The Kaiju charged, but as it reached her, she swung the shield in a brutal arc, unleashing a shockwave that blasted through the creature. The Kaiju was torn apart in an instant, its remains scattered and sizzling on the ground.
In the heat of the moment, the girl's hood slipped back just enough for Ashiro to catch a glimpse of her face. Behind the tattered fabric was a stunning figure: her long, emerald green hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing features so perfect they seemed otherworldly, like a sculpture meticulously crafted by divine hands. Her expression was focused and fierce, her beauty an unexpected contrast to the brutal strength she wielded.
'So beautiful....' As the girl calmed down while she put back on her hood, Ashiro could help but thought as he looked at her in pure admiration. This time it wasn't only Lady Naga who noticed this, but even Hanabi and the two boys did.
"Oh? It seems like the kid has taken a liking to Kaguya"
"Well that is expected, anyone can fall for that hee face that seems to be carefully crafted by a god. But once he gets to know her personality, he will avoid her like the plague, hahaha" Kyoto replied to what Suguru said before making a hearty laugh. As for Hanabi, she just looked at Ashiro for brief moment before shifted her gaze somewhere else.
'Don't tell me this kid had love at first sight twice in a space of 30 minutes?' But while the three kids were having various reactions and expression regarding this, Lady Naga thought with a speechless look on her face.